


In Search of the Common Man

by DixieDale



Category: Clan O'Donnell - Fandom, Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 08:26:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17240870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DixieDale/pseuds/DixieDale
Summary: What happens when Actor decides to prove he can be just as 'common' as his team mates?  No, he's not willing to actually CHANGE, (after all, he worked hard to become who he is!) but he decides he might take a run at trying to see how much he could ACT common, if he wanted to, interact with others more as his teammates did.  Will he find some of the 'common' things actually suit him?  And how will his associates react to his apparently turning over a new leaf?By the time it was over, Garrison was willing to pay big money to get his second-in-command back again, snobbish, top-lofty, arrogant, serious and superior man that he was.  Because, frankly, his nerves just couldn't handle the 'new' Actor, and there's more than a few others who pretty much felt the same.





	In Search of the Common Man

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second of the Actor stories dropped on me by my muse. New Years being a time for making changes, this seemed appropriate timing.

The Beginning:  
It had started with a tense debriefing after a mission had almost gone awry, Actor being called out for almost screwing things up, first by resisting wearing that corporal's uniform, then by wearing it 'all wrong'. They were all annoyed with him, and he no less with them for their total lack of comprehension.

Goniff had been all snarly and defensive over Actor's accusations about not coming up with the proper clothing.

"Yeah, well, weren't no Colonel or General's uniform just 'anging around, not in your size, now were there, Actor??! Coo! Weren't like you 'ad to do any con while you was in there anyways! Corporal allowed in there just as much as some with 'igher rank! Sides, just 'ad to be inside the place, looking it over good! Don't see why not 'aving a bit of fancy birdtrot on the thing would 'ave kept you from doing that!!" 

Casino has snorted, "hell, didn't you know? He does what they call 'method acting', Goniff. He has to have the right threads to 'get into the role', right, Beautiful? That uniform you came up with, just didn't do it for him! Just wasn't fancy enough!"

Garrison didn't know whether to be more amused or annoyed, now that it was over and they were back safe and sound, though he thought annoyed just might win out. The time Actor had taken arguing with Goniff, protesting the lowly corporal's uniform had almost lost them their opportunity, but he had to admit the arrogant and superior demeanor and attitude their con man had exhibited while wearing that uniform had almost proved their undoing anyway, that visiting Colonel taking dire offense at the top-lofty manner of an 'underling'.

Most of the time, Actor's ability to 'become' a senior officer, a high-ranking official, the most elite of the elite - well, all that came in handy. Still, sometimes that wasn't what was called for, and it didn't help when the tall Italian resisted adapting to those circumstances. 

Garrison had talked to the con man about that before, all to no avail. Now he sat back, wondering if the team could get through to the man when Garrison hadn't been able to.

They'd continued ragging on him, Goniff and Casino taking turns jabbing at him. "Gotta 'ave 'is women fancy." "Him and his fancy 'ascots'." "Gotta 'ave fancy smokes, not w'at they sell at the local shops, no, not for 'im!" "Surprised he's willing to use the same john as we do, it not being marble and gold and all that ritzy stuff!"

Garrison was starting to feel a little sorry for his beleaguered second-in-command, thought maybe he should put a stop to it, when Chief entered into the fray.

Chief had watched all the back-and-forth, then shrugged and had drawled out, "can't blame him, guys. He can't be like one of us. He can't do 'common'; don't have it in him. Gotta be fancy or he don't want no part of it. Well, not so much don't WANT to. More like, it aint some nose in the air muckety-muck he's pretending to be, Actor just CAN'T do it. No sense asking him to do what he just can't do. Just like I cant pick a pocket like Goniff can. You can't blame a man for what he just dont have the talent for."

Garrison watched Actor's face, saw the rank indignation that calm statement had generated. He refrained from smiling, thinking this little take-down might just be what Actor needed, and decided to sit back and let it all play out. He had no IDEA just what that would entail!

Somehow, that last, from Chief, had been more offensive than all the rest to Actor. Surely they had to be jesting! To say he couldn't be just one of 'them', even for a few hours, that he 'wouldn't know how'. Why, even the idea that HE, the great Actor, con man extraordinaire, couldn't manage in other than the elite situations they had mostly seen him in!

Well, yes, that was what he preferred, certainly; was what he'd specialized in, of course, but that was by choice. Still, for them to say he COULDN'T handle anything else, to assume he was so limited in talent! It was quite unacceptable. Well, he would just show THEM! He could manage in any setting THEY were accustomed to dealing with! Why, there were any number of opportunities of proving that, and he fully intended to do just that very thing! Yes, indeed!

***  
Once he resolved to show them he could fit in, be just as 'common' as the next man, (if only for a very brief time), he sat down and made notes of the various things they'd complained about regarding him and his usual manner. On a whim, he decided to add in a few things from other frequent associates as well. He had to admit it was a rather lengthy list once he'd finished, but in looking over the various items, he determined that many of them could be combined into one of just a few categories. In fact, although he'd never admit it willingly to anyone else, certainly not his team mates, he found it rather disconcerting to see how many of the same, or at least similar complaints had been voiced by so many different individuals. Perhaps there was some justification in what his team mates had been saying. Oh, not much, surely, but perhaps something. Perhaps he might work on making a few minor adjustments, along with proving he could become just as 'common' as they were, when the situation called for it. He glanced back at the doorway, considered Casino, then Goniff. {"Well, no, perhaps not AS common; there's no need to go to extremes. But I might come closer."}.

One at a time he considered his options, and made his selections. {"It is probably best to start with something simple to get me off to a good start."}

Sergeant Major Gil Rawlins:  
"No, Lieutenant. I'm quite sure; 'e was seen doing it! 'ave to say, I find it disappointing, I do. Always thought 'e was the steady, reliable one, not to be up to such goings on! Don't know w'at set 'im off, and I'm leaving it to you to deal with, but I WOULD greatly appreciate my underdrawers to be back where I can get my 'ands on them when need be! Don't know w'at things are coming to, a solid responsible one like 'im starting to cut up larks like Goniff and Casino!"

Just how Craig Garrison was supposed to accuse his solid, reliable, ever-so-dignified second-in-command of swiping their Sergeant Major's underdrawers, he didn't know offhand. He settled for a brief note, tucked alongside the bookmark in the book he knew Actor was currently reading. 

It read, quite simply, "I don't want to know why, I really don't. Just, give Gil back his underpants, will you??! Consider that an order! Garrison"

 

Lynn Garrison:  
She was well used to him being ever-so-superior on their little shopping excursions, frequently making her feel like either an idiot or at least terribly gauche. She didn't much like shopping in the first place, and she was more than a little weary of spending the day successful in the pursuit of clothes but unsuccessful in avoiding a tension headache and a roiling stomach from swallowing the angry words she kept biting back. Still, she knew he had superior taste in clothes, clothes she needed for many of the cons she was now having to pull off, whether for her brother's team or elsewhere. While neither she nor Garrison would countenance him actually paying for her clothes, especially not after Meghada and her family had pulled some strings to get her some almost unbelievable discounts at the very best houses, they'd both seen the value in making use of his superior fashion sense. Of course, Lynn had made it a point of pretending to want to shop at other places, made a point of seeming to have a liking for things she knew were quite unsuitable, or poorly made, or in unbecoming colors - whatever, just to see him react. And react he did, enough she knew that he made the return trip with his head and stomach at least as upset as hers. It might not be true payback, but it was something.

Yet, each trip followed the same path, and had for long enough that she expected nothing different. Well, until this trip, when he seemed determined to let her have her own way, biting his tongue and letting her pick her own outfits, even when she deliberately goaded him with some highly inappropriate selections.

She hadn't been looking forward to the trip, but her next job called for a new outfit, something 'special', and he'd insisted on 'helping' her select the right one, as he usually did in such circumstances. And he was actually being nice about it for a change, not making snide or disparaging comments. She wasn't sure how to take this new side to the arrogant Italian, the one who was exhibiting a new-found patience or perhaps indulgence, and she had the overwhelming urge to see just how far that new attitude would carry. Craig would have recognized that look in his little sister's eyes, and would have groaned in apprehension. She rarely displayed her more mischievious side, but when she did, she really trod hard.

Lynn discussed the expedition with Meghada afterwards.

"I took him to 'Imogene's'," she said with a grin, sipping at her glass.

Meghada snickered. "Actor??! You took ACTOR to 'Imogene's?? Hot pink satin, black lacings, and silver fishnet stockings? Why, your next con is as a ha'penny-a-dance girl??"

"Well, I had to try something. He didn't blink an eye, well not so much anyway, when we dropped in to 'Anabelle's' to see what she's currently showing".

"ANABELLE'S DUNGEON???" Lynn had to wait til Meghada stopped choking before she continued, wide smirk on her face.

"He did take awhile to close his mouth when I modeled that black leather bustier and matching tap pants, along with the rest of the ensemble, and his coloring was rather off, but still, he didn't SAY anything against it!"

Meghada started laughing rather helplessly, "oh, Lynn, I'd be surprised if he COULD say anything!! Probably that little feathered whip that goes with that outfit scared him past even TRYING to speak! Oh, please tell me you wore those tight black leather boots with the red laces that came up to the top of your thighs! The ones with the six inch heels!"

She and Lynn had made the rounds of the more outre shops mostly unknown to the polite world not six months ago. Lynn continued describing that shopping trip with Actor, while Meghada wondered whether her ribs would ever stop hurting from the non-stop laughter at the pictures she envisioned. 

"At 'Claudia's Cupboard', I tried on a skin-tight leopard print in plush velvet," she admitted. The giggles started again when Lynn confessed "I did get all the way to the register with the leopard print, before I told Claudia I'd changed my mind, thought it might not suit after all, and oh, Meghada, he never said a word!!!"

"And what did you decide on? I'm almost afraid to ask!"

"Oh, one of the Worth designs, eventually, from Mansard's, something from his current collection, very elegant in a sage green brocade with a matching wrap and heels. This next job is at the Hungarian Embassy, and somehow I just didn't think that leopard print was quite the thing, especially considering it was matched with that snakeskin belt and matching five inch strappy high heels! I must say, he took it quite well, me choosing the Worth; didn't twit me at all about passing over the cream Dior model!"

"Probably just glad it wasn't black leather or hot pink satin!"

Lynn admitted later, over her second glass of bourbon, "I'm quite ready to have the old Actor back, though. Can you imagine if he'd actually let me BUY any of those others??! Fashion isn't my strong suit, I know that, and his advice really is beneficial; better to put up with his superior attitude and actually come away with something wearable, I suppose!"

She refrained from telling Meghada that she'd had Anabelle set aside that black leather outfit (though without the boots) for her. It just seemed a handy little something to tuck away for some future special occasion.

 

Josie:  
Josie, the ever-cheerful blonde barmaid down at The Doves liked a congenial tumble now and again. She'd been well content sharing her bed with the other three guys on the team, Casino, Goniff and Chief, once in a while, though Goniff didn't visit her anymore, not since he and the O'Donnell lass had come to an accord.

She'd wondered about the green-eyed Lieutenant, certainly, her and Nellie agreeing he would probably be a right treat if he ever had the notion to slide between her sheets, not that he ever had, nor did she think he ever would. Whatever, whoever would tempt him, they didn't know, but they were sure it wasn't Josie, nor Nellie either (not that Nellie was looking for anyone but her George). If he'd been a lass, they'd have said he was one of those holding out for the promise of 'love forever after', a ring and a small cottage. As it was, well, they really didn't know.

NEVER had she given so much as a thought to the tall sophisticated Italian, thinking someone like him wouldn't give a side glance, much less a tumble to anyone without 'Lady' in front of her name. And while he'd always been pleasant, he'd certainly never given a thought to her either, not from anything the two barmaids had seen. Well, not til recent like, and to be honest, she'd just as soon to have left it at that.

She didn't know what put the whole idea in his mind, and after a couple of times of him walking her home and coming in to spend some time, she was becoming more and more uncomfortable. She'd finally discussed it with Nellie, and Nellie had agreed to having a word with the Lieutenant, Josie feeling too shy to do so.

"It's not like he's not being a real gentleman; don't get me wrong, he is! Generous to a fault, he is, always a nice bit in the tea pot, and never rough with her or unkind. Just, Josie's not used to his sort, and he's making her a bit nervous. And, between you and me and the blackbird on the fence, she says his mind keeps wandering, if you know what I mean, almost like he forgets what he's doing and who he's with. Keeps feeling like she needs to tap him on the shoulder to get him to move along, you know, even remind him of what comes next? Oh, not like with Goniff, who knows quite well what's what, but just likes to stretch things out and take his own sweet time; with Actor, it's more like he's just lost track, she says. And sometimes, she says he looks down and gets the most peculiar look on his face, like he'd forgotten she was there, and's not too happy to be reminded of it then!"

"Now, Josie's not the sort to complain, Lieutenant Garrison, and she doesn't want to make him feel bad, but she's finding it a bit of a strain. With your other lads, well, she's used to their ways and finds them pleasing, and while they're both quite different, and she'll admit she misses Goniff more than a bit, well, she's used to being able to relax and just enjoy herself. Actor, well, he just takes too much effort, she says." 

Garrison sat, nursing a drink, then pouring another one, trying to figure out how to broach THIS with his SIC. Somehow, the idea of trying to tell Actor that the local barmaid, the one highly enthusiastic about Casino and Chief (and, formerly, their resident pickpocket as well) was finding him a less than appealing bedpartner wasn't something he'd ever envisioned having to do. For certain, he couldn't ask Lynn to take on the job; his sister was still making those little snorting noises she'd been making ever since Nellie had taken her leave. He thought of asking her to stop, but he was half afraid of what would come out instead of those 'cat with a hair ball' sounds. He remembered that highly unappealing inward shnortting sound from her teen years and didn't really want her to revert to that now.

 

Rebecka Standish:  
Actor had seen how his team mates had been making themselves useful around the Parsonage and the Orphanage, Reverend Standish and his sister Rebecka doing wonderful things within their own venues. He couldn't quite see himself at the Parsonage, but surely the orphans would benefit from his vast knowledge. Yes, that would be another place where he could prove he could be as 'common' as anyone else!

Sergeant Major had delivered the message that Miss Rebecka would favor a word with him, at his convenience. Curious, Garrison had made his way to the Orphanage the next day.

"Lieutenant, it's not that I don't appreciate the interest or his time and effort. I really do. However, I'm not sure his giving lessons in proper table manners is quite that beneficial, especially when he insists on illustrating laying out service for an eight course meal, or proper protocol for seating arrangments with guests of the varying levels of nobility. You must see, the likelihood of that ever being an issue for them is really quite remote. Now, his reading to them, yes, that is truly something they enjoy, even though they don't understand one word in ten. His choices of reading material is more of the university level, rather than the six to ten year-old group. Descartes is really rather above them, you see." 

Craig Garrison pulled the bottle out of his desk drawer, and looked with some dismay at the bare half-inch at the bottom. Amazing how fast that bottle had emptied itself! He decided to go borrow a bottle from Meghada before he sat down with a long-overdue discussion with the new 'common man' on his team. 

So it was that the newly found 'common man' found himself being urged back into his former mannerisms. Well, for the most part, anyway. He and Garrison agreed that knowing HOW to be a little more common would prove useful in the field. He'd admitted that, while he appreciated Josie's hospitality, he'd never really felt comfortable with her, feeling she had been expecting something from him that he never truly understood, something he'd never been expected to provide before, and would be happy to return to the less demanding ladies from his little black book. Even Garrison agreed that Lynn could obviously use a little more firmness in the fashion guidance Actor could provide, especially since Gil had opened that package marked 'Anabelle's' and, bright red, had, without a word, thrust the whole outrageous mess onto the open-mouthed Lieutenant's desk with only a blurted out "came for your sister, it did! Never thought opening the packages would prove this difficult, Lieutenant, but between that dead rabbit coming for Goniff and this, this . . . Well, 'ave to say I just wasn't expecting it, that's all!"

But there was one area where Actor decided being 'common' had a strong appeal, one venue in which he decided to continue his endeavors, if with some major modifications.

It took some doing, some serious conversation, but eventually Actor found himself at the Orphanage teaching table manners at a much more elemental level, lessons that more involved chewing with the mouth closed and not wiping one's mouth on one's sleeve, along with not using one's napkin as a handkerchief, rather than figuring out protocol for seating the nobility at a formal dinner. As for the reading, well, he found he DID enjoy those sessions, and discovered that even switching to books with a few more words the children actually could understand didn't lessen his enjoyment. Meghada had loaned him a copy of "The Jungle Book" to start, promising a few others in a similar vein, and that seemed to suit just about everyone. And for those two or three who urged him to continue as before, "don't care if we don't understand what it all meant, we LIKED it!", he even made time to continue with the more advanced ones, no matter how the guys teased him. He'd glimpsed a future scholar or two, ones he'd take solid pleasure in furthering their education. He'd even taken the first steps in setting up a fund to provide for whatever advanced education they might eventually be ready for.

He might never be a 'common man', truly had no interest in doing so, but he took some satisfaction in the knowledge that he could, if need be, pretend for just awhile. Just, not in the Common Room, not when it was such a vast source of amusement to taunt his team mates. No, not there. There he would continue to be the smug, haughty, superior snob he'd always been. It was just too much fun not to.


End file.
